The magic of thanking: a conversation with Lisa Sargent
Lisa Sargent proudly holds her Fondsenwerving.blog coffee mug.
What if thanking donors wasn’t just a nice gesture, but a powerful way to build lasting relationships and boost fundraising results? In this blog we talk to Lisa Sargent, donor communications expert and author of Thankology, about how heartfelt, timely thank-yous can transform the way supporters connect with your cause. Based on years of writing hundreds of donor letters for a leading U.S. animal welfare organization, Lisa discovered what many of us suspect: when you treat gratitude as a serious part of your strategy, donors respond.
In our conversation, Lisa shares the thinking behind her six-step THANK-U framework and the real-life experiences that inspired the book. Thankology is full of practical examples, adaptable copy, and gentle reminders of what makes donor relationships thrive. Whether you’re new to stewardship or looking to take your thanking to the next level, this interview is a great place to start.
RS: What inspired you to write Thankology?
LS: The inspiration to write Thankology was forged from a handful of years I’d spent writing donor communications for one of the top US animal welfare charities. As part of that role, every quarter I would sit down to refresh that organization’s thank-you letters. It was no easy feat: There were always at least 50 (yes fifty) different versions of the thank yous, some 200+ thank-you letters each year! Over time I had the great privilege of seeing the difference made by letters that were allowed to be warm, prompt, personal, authentic, and given a place of value in the nonprofit’s communications plan and budget. The difference being that donors LOVED these letters. They wrote back. They sent cards. They stayed on as givers. They gave again and again. One supporter even applied for a job.
The other difference, of course, was that the thank-you letters being sent by most other nonprofits sounded nothing like the ones I was free to write. Those other thank-yous sounded like receipts. Stilted. Dry. Lifeless. Late. No wonder they loved the ones we sent!
But all that would never have sowed the seeds for Thankology, had I not read an article in a nonprofit journal discussing research from philanthropic psychology expert, Professor Adrian Sargeant. In The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Sargeant wrote this:
“Retention is the single biggest issue we face as a sector today.” He went on to add how “an increase of just 10% in donor retention can yield up to a 200% increase in the lifetime value of your donors.”
Keep just one extra donor in ten. It was then I knew, communications that radiated gratitude for the generosity of supporters could make all the difference.
And I knew, because I’d just spent a number of years writing hundreds of thank-you letters at an organization that has now grown its revenue by more than 500%.
Gratitude IS magic. And the magic of gratitude in fundraising was a book that needed to be written. That book is Thankology.
RS: Your six-step framework for donor gratitude is a key part of the book. Can you walk us through what makes it so effective?
LS: When I work with nonprofits and fundraisers to help them craft their organization’s thank yous, one of the things that really holds people up is that they don’t know what needs to be included in thank-you letters to make them effective.
My six-step framework – also known as THANK-U – helps you know you’ve included all the essentials. And I call them essentials because we know these address some of the key reasons donors say they stop giving. For example, they were never told how their gift was working, they were never thanked, they felt other causes were more deserving, etc.
You’ll picture each of the letters as a brief paragraph, or even a sentence or two. They don’t have to be in order. Instead you’ll add them, in different ways, to the thank you letters you write.
T stands for Thank. In your letter, you’ll thank your donor and tell them their gift was received. And no starting your letter with, “On behalf of...” Thankology shares lots of better, warmer leads you can use and adapt.
H stands for Help. You’ll help your donor see what their gift is doing, how it’s working, or will work. Are they helping mothers feed their children? Helping save homeless dogs and cats? Helping save the environment? Say so.
A stands for Ask. By this, I don’t mean ask for more money. I mean that you’ll ask your supporter for something other than money, a different way to connect – for example, you might invite them to an event or a tour, or for their feedback, or even to learn more online.
N stands for Notify. Your letter, warmly, should notify your supporters how they can reach you with questions. It’s as simple as, “If you ever have questions about your gift, we’re here to help. You can reach us anytime on [number, email, etc.].”
K stands for Kindle. You want to kindle good feelings in your letter, because research tells us that warmth is one of the most important qualities in a gratitude letter (and because warmth and authenticity make every thank-you better ).
U stands for Update. Your thank-you will always update the donor on when they’ll hear from you next. This is massive from the psychology of a priming perspective, and it builds trust too, that you’ll do what you say you’ll do. A newsletter is a wonderful next contact. But if you don’t have one (I hope you will one day!), you can even say, “I’ll update you as soon as I can. In the meantime, please visit our website on [URL] for lots of stories on how you’re helping.” (That by the way, combines A, the ask, as simply as possible too!)
RS: Many fundraisers struggle to find the right words when thanking donors. How does Thankology help them craft messages that truly resonate?
LS: My six-step framework – with full thank-you letter samples included in the book – is only the first part of that. I also walk readers through examples and sample wording for many types of thank-yous, from first-time givers to in-memoriam acknowledgments. Then because I know that words don’t come easily, even to folks like me who spend hours every day crafting appeals, newsletters, thank-yous and all kinds of other donor communications, there are appendices at the end of the book with copy that readers can adapt and make their own. From thank-you letter leads to signoffs and postscripts, there’s sample copy for everything. I even included a list of 50 qualities you can recognize in your donors to deepen connection – thanking supporters for their courage, their trust, for never turning away, for their fighting spirit, these can really take your thank-you letters to the next level!
“Gratitude IS magic.”
“Then the neurotransmitters kick into gear with dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, moving people to what experts call prosocial behavior – acting for the greater good.”
“Award-winning fundraising copywriter and top-selling author Lisa Sargent is on a mission to transform the way nonprofits tell their fundraising stories. Together with her new book Thankology, SOFII’s free Donor Thank-You Clinics, and as contributing author to the decision science book Change For Better, Sargent writes, speaks, and trains to help top nonprofits inspire and keep more donors, get far better results, and build a better, brighter world. Follow Lisa on LinkedIn and subscribe to her free newsletter, The Loyalty Letter.”
RS: The book is full of real-word examples and practical advice. Can you share one story or case study that really stands out?
LS: I always picture the letters that come back from supporters in return, and I include quotes from some of those in the book. Sometimes they’d arrive in shaky handwriting – once on a supporter’s 89th birthday – saying how grateful they were to be able to give, to help. For me, this is the stand-out journey of Thankology, the mission: to help every nonprofit do the kind of thanking that connects people to one another, that eases loneliness and deepens meaning. That helps humanity. That someone should feel so connected, they send a gift on their own 89th birthday or come in to apply for a job or leave a legacy. Not thanking people as saviors or heroes, but for helping others build better lives. For leaving the world a little better than they found it. For helping people heal in the face of trauma, and in return find healing and connection in their own lives. This is magic to me.
RS: Fundraisers often focus on acquisition, but you emphasize retention through gratitude. How does Thankology help organizations shift their mindset?
LS: The most important part of this answer is that it’s not either/or. Fundraisers need to continue acquisition because nonprofits need new donors. There will always be some attrition, in fact if retention is really, really high, sometimes that’s a sign the file is stagnating – meaning only the most stalwart supporters remain because there’s been no acquisition. But acquisition is not the cure-all. We can’t just keep bringing in new donors to fill the leaky bucket, endlessly dumping more and more money into acquisition and not doing anything to keep or nurture the supporters we have.
THAT’S where Thankology comes in.
Through the book I aim to help fundraisers and nonprofit leaders see the massive benefit of retention, including an eye-opening chart in the back of the book that shows the monetary effect of keeping just one extra donor in ten. And I connect retention to thanking, taking readers deep into the neuroscience and research behind gratitude, and share stories – backed up by data – of how better thanking plays a part in growing revenue and retention both. One example, for instance, shows how thanking supporters for their loyalty in a newsletter cover letter increased response rate for that segment by 67% over the prior newsletter. Another chapter talks about how thanking can increase speed to second gift, which is a huge indicator of retention – I break that down for readers of the book as well. For me, the shift in mindset isn’t about trying to force organizations into better thanking or feeling like they can then not bother with acquisition. I wanted to show how also investing in better thanking can help increase retention, results, and long-term donor satisfaction.
RS: What surprised you most while researching or writing this book? Did you uncover any unexpected insights?
LS: The research around how gratitude lights up the human brain was one of the most surprising insights for me, not only for the giver but also the receiver. When we hear about gratitude, we often see it used in connection to things like gratitude journals, or being grateful for three things every day, as a path to better mental and emotional health. But what really amazed me was how brains experiencing gratitude, and research around gratitude letters, left such an impact on people. Moral and value judgment, for example, are increased. As is something called ‘theory of mind,’ the understanding of others. Then the neurotransmitters kick into gear with dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, moving people to what experts call prosocial behavior – acting for the greater good. One body of research even found that warmth of the gratitude letter was what made the difference to recipients, which I loved because so often nonprofits worry that they’re getting too emotional.
The other insights that really struck me were around the data. How pre-thanking can increase future donations. How phone calls do the same. How the right thanking has a kind of spillover effect to the next appeal.
RS: If a fundraiser reads Thankology and applies its lessons, what kind of transformation can they expect in their donor relationships?
LS: In the previous questions and answers, we’ve already touched on so much of what can happen when thanking gets better – and Thankology holds even more of the fundraising and research results. But the answer I like to give most to what fundraisers can expect, is “fan mail.” I’ve seen it happen at so many organizations now. And on the surface, you might think it sounds trite, that receiving letters back from supporters thanking you for the beautiful thank-you you’ve sent is something you want to aim for.
Think more deeply about what’s behind that, though: your donor gives, and in return receives a letter so warm and authentic, that connects them so strongly to your work, they want to thank you in return for the chance to help change the world – for the chance to be closer your staff, those you serve, and your work. What this says to me, and what I’ve seen happen at nonprofits that get fan mail is really a kind of magic. Those letters from supporters are anonymized and shared. They then lift up staff, who see how much people care. They lift up those who are being served by the nonprofit, because they see their stories being told with dignity and truth. They prime generosity, they show supporter satisfaction and engagement, they increase connection. I can’t guarantee any results, ever. No fundraiser can. But I can say, based on the learnings I share in Thankology, that getting better at gratitude is one of the best ways I know to grow generosity, retention (both supporters and staff), and change in a world and a sector that needs connection and change now more than ever.
And if I could add one more paragraph, it’s just to say Bedankt – thank you. Thank you with my whole heart to everyone taking the time to read today. Just your willingness to know more about how getting better at gratitude can help your work is such a heartening sign to me, and I know the work you do will be better for it. I’m so glad you’re out there, fighting the good fight. You matter, to me and so many others. Now I’m going to pour a nice hot cup of coffee in my Fondsenwerving.blog mug, and hope that one day our paths cross again!
THANK YOU so much for this interview Lisa!
If there’s one book I think every fundraiser should read this year, it’s Thankology. Lisa Sargent doesn’t just explain why donor gratitude matters, she shows you exactly how to do it better. Get yourself a copy!